From the full body pictures, I would say that although she definitely has good muscle, she does look to be in need of some fat. If I were you, I would ask the old owner what she was used for/ how much she worked- that can give you a better perspective. If she was worked a lot, it may just be that she has low fat percentage. A good example is a tb on the track- they're without doubt very fit, but they still have ribs showing because they're all muscle with very little fat. If she was fed with a lot of other horses and low in the pecking order, that explains why she has so much rib showing.
My advice is to get the vet out. Get her feet trimmed (they look pretty long), get her teeth done and see if she gets any better. If she doesn't, start getting more specific about what you're looking for.

When our babies start shedding caps they get checked over by our tooth guy.

One way they can drop weight fast is being kicked out into a herd and not monitored as well as she could have been. Looking at all the teeth marks and everything sounds like the herd probably worked her over, ran her some, and kept her from eating as much as she would like. Nothing exactly wrong in the way of care on the previous owners parts, since that is what horses do, but they could have given her some extra attention, or better yet, pulled her out of the group. Some people will just let them duke it out.Posted via Mobile Device

We just had a few sharp points taken off of a 16 month old filly who was underweight and dropping bits of feed, so I also agree that what they eat and their individual mouths can cause teeth problems even early on. She was on All Stock feed and no hay of all things (and ofcourse, she was VERY ill and thin because of it) and she was a mess!

She can use a few pounds to fill her out. Nice mare, however.Thank you for posting the photos.

I would get a vet to do a check up and look at the teeth. It is good to have a clinic familiar with her. That way there is a base line to go from. And I would make a list of things you want specific information about. A vet call will be a good thing for both you and the horse.. We can offer tons of free advice about just about anything : ) , but the advice and information from the guy with the vet degree is worth way more than the cost of the call.

Well the farrier saw her and laughed at my concerns. I feel silly but have learned a lot so that's ok. I still have almost a week to go before the vet sees her but they usually say close to the same things. I found this vet through my farriers recommendation so that's not surprising. Our farrier is wonderful and I've always found his advice to be good for us and our pony. I think I might see a different vet at least once to look at their teeth. It sounds like this is a good idea anyway just to have more options in an emergency.

The farrier said a little rib showing is often seen in horses that have been trained for...I don't remember the word he used. Highly trained for work though. He said that will fill out just from her easy life now and that she was probably sold by the original trainers because she wasn't good enough at this work. He said she looks fit and healthy.

Then he told me I should have gotten a gelding not a mare for an all the time safe horse, but on this we agree to disagree. I've never owned a gelding and what he says makes sense, but we all love our little mare pony and with regular work she stays very nice and safe. She's only pushy when we come back from vacation and it only takes a little work for her to be sweet again. Her companions have been a couple of goats and she has to be pushy with them. Hopefully my preference for female animals will be ok in this.

He says we need to have an adult ride her off our property as well to keep her training as good as now. My daughter has always done bareback on our property as it helps her own muscles and balance, with some lead-line time off property. We live on the edge of a national park so I and my oldest can schedule some riding time with her there so that should be ok. My oldest is very happy with this and we can take riding lessons from the same lady that helped with our pony at first.

Her weight isn't too bad. Better on the thin than obese side. I'd give her a chance on just the hay diet for several weeks. If her teeth need floating she might be a bit sore for about a week then she'll start to gain as digestion will improve. Sharp teeth create cheek ulcers and they need time to heal. A friend's young qh needed two teeth floated as a 3 year old. To say a young horse doesn't need it depends on how well the jaws align. A newcomer upsets herd dynamics and she was likely chased off the hay that was offered. One needs to set out twice as many piles as there are horses as the chasers get bored with the game and the extra piles enable the newbie to eat.

Well the farrier saw her and laughed at my concerns. I feel silly but have learned a lot so that's ok. I still have almost a week to go before the vet sees her but they usually say close to the same things. I found this vet through my farriers recommendation so that's not surprising. Our farrier is wonderful and I've always found his advice to be good for us and our pony. I think I might see a different vet at least once to look at their teeth. It sounds like this is a good idea anyway just to have more options in an emergency.

The farrier said a little rib showing is often seen in horses that have been trained for...I don't remember the word he used. Highly trained for work though. He said that will fill out just from her easy life now and that she was probably sold by the original trainers because she wasn't good enough at this work. He said she looks fit and healthy.

Then he told me I should have gotten a gelding not a mare for an all the time safe horse, but on this we agree to disagree. I've never owned a gelding and what he says makes sense, but we all love our little mare pony and with regular work she stays very nice and safe. She's only pushy when we come back from vacation and it only takes a little work for her to be sweet again. Her companions have been a couple of goats and she has to be pushy with them. Hopefully my preference for female animals will be ok in this.

He says we need to have an adult ride her off our property as well to keep her training as good as now. My daughter has always done bareback on our property as it helps her own muscles and balance, with some lead-line time off property. We live on the edge of a national park so I and my oldest can schedule some riding time with her there so that should be ok. My oldest is very happy with this and we can take riding lessons from the same lady that helped with our pony at first.

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and advice.

Lol it's nice to see someone who shares my own female preference when it comes to horses. My farrier teases me about how a gelding is a more even tempered horses but I love my mares.

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